Brandon Twp.- Amanda Grix and Greg King don’t know each other, but when the Brandon High School students talk about what they did this summer, they may sound similar.
Both served as ambassadors in the People-to-People Student Ambassador Program and both cite a foreign sports venue as the favorite part of their trip. But those sites were vastly different? one modern and one ancient.
King’s favorite sight on his trip to Holland as a sports ambassador, was Amsterdam Stadium, where the soccer player was able to sit in seats that, during soccer games, normally cost $4,500, and where he also was able to tour the press room, and see trophies for the soccer team.
Grix, on the other hand, traveled to France, Italy and Greece, and found her favorite memory at Olympia Stadium, where the original Olympic games were held and where she raced on the field where the original athletes would have run, and where nothing grows because the ground is so compacted.
‘It was my favorite place of all the places we went to,’said Grix. ‘It was impressive… a history lesson.?
The People-to-People program was begun in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who believed that citizens of different nations, by communicating directly, could solve their differences and live in peace with each other.
Since its inception, the program has offered thousands of students the opportunity to travel and ‘promote peace through understanding.?
Grix and King were each nominated for the program and paid their own way for their trips.
Grix left the U.S. on June 29 for France, with 35 kids in her delegation. She stayed in Paris for three days, visiting the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Palace of Versailles, and Notre Dame Cathedral.
From France, the delegation traveled to Italy. In Venice, they rode in gondolas and toured a Venetian glass blowing shop. After Venice they traveled to Monselice, where she stayed three nights with a host family, whom she described as ‘very nice.?
Grix and the host daughter walked around town, behind which were mountains, and talked.
‘Italy was beautiful,? she said. ‘All the colors are warm in Italy, all the houses are in yellows, pinks and peaches.?
She enjoyed pizza, although she described the toppings as ‘crazy? and including eggplant and peas.
Also in Italy, Grix saw a wedding at the Leaning Tower of Pisa; viewed a World War II cemetery in Assisi at which filming of the movie ‘Saving Private Ryan? took place; rappelled more than 100 feet from a castle that is 1,000 years-old; toured the Colosseum in Rome; and was wowed by the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. On her last day in Italy, she visited Mt. Vesuvius and then it was off to Greece. On a 16-hour overnight ferry trip there, she saw the sun set on the Mediterranean Sea. In Greece, she would see the ruins for the Temple of Zeus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
‘In Greece, everything is blue and white,? she says. ‘The water is blue and gorgeous.?
From Greece, she flew back to France, and from Paris, arrived home July 18.
The following day, King was leaving for Amsterdam. Unlike Grix, he stayed in the same city for his 10-day trip.
Highlights of King’s trip included tours of a cheese factory and wooden shoe factory, as well as his own history lesson, when he saw the house where Anne Frank hid during the Holocaust.
‘The stairs were so steep,? he said. ‘We saw the secret annex and it really hit you hard. It was pretty hard afterwards.?
Besides sightseeing, when King was in Holland, he played soccer as part of the Haarlem Cup Tournament. His team, the U.S.A. Ballhogs, played in 10 matches, two or three per day, including games against Danish, Swedish, and American teams.
‘They are so much more focused on soccer than they are here,? said King. ‘That’s the only sport they care about, it’s what they live and breathe.?
King called the Dutch very affectionate people. What he didn’t like about Holland were the food portions.
‘It was really good food, but the portions were so small and there were no refills,? he said.
King met many other people of different nationalities while he was in Amsterdam.
‘The world is a lot bigger than it seems,? King said. ‘It’s a lot bigger than Oakland County and Michigan. There are other countries out there and they’re a lot different. Even among Americans, people are so different.?
Grix said the coolest thing about her trip was also getting to meet new people, do new things, and experience their culture and life.
‘They’re just people in beautiful surroundings,? she said. ‘It’s cool for us, and normal for them… I learned about different cultures and about people instead of just government. I’d love to go back.?